Semiconductor sales edge up 3.1% in AprilNews & Analysis 5/31/2002 Post a commentApril shipments of semiconductors, based on a three month average, were down 7.5% from March, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. This apparently was not just a DRAM problem, but rather a PC problem. DRAM ASPs dropped from $4.456 in March to $4.274 in April with steady volume. Microprocessor ASPs fell from $81.859 to $66.398 with MPU revenue off nearly 30% from Feb.

Chip makers back off photomask productionNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentThe number of semiconductor companies with significant in-house mask-making capabilities shrank significantly in the wake of two recent agreements that will see photomask production being outsourced to new facilities to be built in Europe.

AMD slashes processor prices by up to 52% in response to IntelNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentSUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Are the two leading microprocessor suppliers heading towards a price war amid lackluster demand in the PC market?
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. has cut the prices on nearly all of its microprocessor lines by 7-to-52%, in an apparent response to Intel Corp.'s recent moves to slash its chip tags, according to a report from Reuters here today.

Intel fills out development support for network processor lineupNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentSANTA CLARA, Calif.--Intel Corp. today rolled out two new hardware development platforms aimed at easing the job of designing communications systems, based on the company's IXP2800 and IXP2400 network processors. The two new platforms fill out Intel's development tools for its new network processors.

Mouser beefs up LCD lineNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentExpanding its liquid-crystal display offerings to better support the company's design, engineering and research and development customers, Mouser Electronics has signed a distribution agreement with Amulet Technologies.

Chip veteran Don Brooks elected chairman of GaAs foundry specialist GCSNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentTORRANCE, Calif. -- Semiconductor veteran Donald Brooks has been elected chairman of Global Communications Semiconductor Inc. (GCS), a pure-play compound semiconductor foundry provider, based here.
Brooks, who is also the chairman of KLM Capital Group, has held a number of executive management positions in the IC industry. He is currently a member of the board of directors of Taiwan's United Microelectronics Corp. (UMC) and previously served as president and co-CEO of that company.

Raytheon invests and forms GaAs foundry alliance with Taiwan's Win SemiNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentLEXINGTON, Mass. -- Raytheon Co. here today announced that it has formed a compound semiconductor foundry alliance and invested $5 million in Taiwan's Win Semiconductors Corp.
Under the terms of the alliance, Win will manufacturer gallium-arsenide (GaAs) devices on a foundry basis for Raytheon's RF Components (RRFC) operation. Based in Taoyuan, Win is a pure-play foundry vendor that operates a 6-inch GaAs fab. The Taiwan company moved its fab into production in 2000

Cypress readies USB on-the-go, Bluetooth siliconNews & Analysis 5/30/2002 Post a commentCypress Semiconductor Corp. will intensify its push into I/O silicon this year, as it prepares to roll out a USB chip and software package that will allow peripherals and mobile devices to communicate with each other without the aid of a PC.